Monday, March 17, 2008

Weird Knitting Space

Well, I’m slugging away on the husband’s Dale of Norway sweater. I finished the first sleeve and started the second, and all is going well. But this morning I was overwhelmed by a sense of semi-desperation, because I’m starting the second sleeve which means the whole sweater is “almost done” except that I then have to do the steeks and place the sleeve and then pick up and knit around the collar AND ALSO there is the small matter of approximately sixty thousand ends that will need to be run in.

So I am overwhelmed with the desire – nay, the need – to work on a pair of socks instead.

Except that I want to do the Girly-Girl socks from that Spin-Off sock book, and I want to use the Schaeffer Anne to do them? But they don’t want to make gauge.

Argh. A more rational knitter would move on, perhaps choose a different yarn or (dare I suggest it?) another pattern.

Oh no. Size 2 needles are too small, and Size 3s are too big, but UNDAUNTED, I’m trying to decide which is better: socks that are a quarter inch too big, or a quarter inch too small. Hmmmmm…

OH. And, in other news, there is a prayer shawl knit-together Wednesday. This is the first time I’m attending this group.

I can’t decide what to bring.

I have some acrylic I bought a while ago to make a shawl with, acrylic being what the hospitals and nursing homes request. But, pattern? I don’t want to walk in and say, “Yes, hello, I’m going to be doing this Incredible Complex Thing out of Lace That Will Kill You Dead, Volume XIV”, and then find out that nobody in the group has even learned the purl stitch yet (oh, don’t laugh, I’ve had it happen – the entire crowd just sat around me breathing in silent awe as I carried two! whole! colors!, at the same time, OH MY GAWD IT’S LIKE A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!).

Awk-ward. Like when a teacher ran up and asked me if I would do a spinning demonstration for her class because she had heard that I DID THAT (in related news, kids talk too damned much). My spinning is beyond pathetic, and the idea of trying to show a group of fifth graders how to…wait, OK, well, not like that, obviously, you put the, DAMN! Why is that…oh, OK, right. OK! So, you put the thing in this other thing? And then you spin the…@*^&@, that stupid drive belt! Right, so, first you have to get the…@*^&@ing drive belt, ARGH! over the UGH! WHEEL! There! Lie there and be damned, you…heh heh. Nevermind, kids, moving on…

But I also don’t want to take on a(nother) project that is going to make me all itchy because it is so.darned.boring.

It is just a weird knitting head space around here right now.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to pretend I’m actually getting 13 stitches to 2 inches on the Schaeffer yarn…

Funny about the spinning. My daughter's teacher asked me to play my Celtic harp for St. Patrick's Day. Um... me? Yes, I have a harp. It's very pretty. Do I play? Um... define "play." Now how my daughter thinks I can "play" is beyond me.